Photovoltaic apparatuses to convert the sunlight into electrical energy include solar cells panels, diodes, and frames.
The solar cell panel has the shape of a plate. For example, the solar cell panel has the shape of a rectangular plate. The solar cell panel is provided inside the frame. Four lateral sides of the solar cell panel are provided inside the frame.
The solar cell panel receives the sunlight and converts the sunlight into the electrical energy. The solar cell panel includes a plurality of solar cells. In addition, the solar cell panel may further include a substrate, a film, or a protective glass to protect the solar cells.
In addition, the solar cell panel includes bus bars coupled to the solar cells. The bus bars extend from the top surface of the outermost solar cells so that the bus bars are connected to wirings, respectively.
The diode is connected to the solar cell panel in parallel. Current selectively flows through the diode. In other words, when the performance of the solar cell panel is deteriorated, current flows through the diode. Therefore, the photovoltaic apparatus according to the embodiment can be prevented from being shorted. In addition, the photovoltaic apparatus may further include wirings connected to the diode and the solar cell panel. The wirings are connected to solar cell panels adjacent to each other.
The frame receives the solar cell panel. The frame includes metal. The frame is provided at the lateral side of the solar cell panel. The frame receives the lateral sides of the solar cell panel. In addition, the frame may include a plurality of sub-frames. In this case, the sub-frames may be connected to each other.
The photovoltaic apparatus is installed in the outdoor field to convert the sunlight into the electrical energy.
The technology related to the photovoltaic apparatus is disclosed in Korean Unexamined Patent Publication No. 10-2009-0059529.